Razorback Roundup — March 15

BY ANDRES FOCIL

BASEBALL (12-3): No. 14 Arkansas tallied a 4-1 record last week at Baum Stadium. The Razorbacks opened the week with a 3-2 loss in game one against South Dakota State. The team responded with a 21-2 win over the Jackrabbits Wednesday to earn a split. Bo Bigham and Matt Vinson each posted four RBI, while Collin Kuhn and Andy Wilkins each drove in three runs. Randall Fant worked three scoreless innings without allowing a hit in his first career start. Against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Arkansas used an eight-run seventh inning to come away with a 14-6 win. James McCann hit a grand slam, the first of his career, and Bigham and Cox each had three RBI. The Razorbacks took game two, 7-0, behind an 11-strikeout performance by Drew Smyly. Smyly combined with DJ Baxendale to pick up the Hogs’ first shutout of the season. Kuhn and Wilkins both homered and drove in a pair of runs. The home run by Wilkins, the 33rd of his career, moved him into a tie for eighth on Arkansas’ all-time list. He shares the spot with former Razorback standouts Ryan Fox (2001-03) and Kevin McReynolds (1979-81). The Hogs completed the sweep with a come-from-behind victory Sunday. The team capitalized on a pair of singles and three wild pitches in the ninth to score two runs and tie the game. Vinson hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, the first of his career, to send the Razorbacks to the 3-2 win. Cox collected two hits and extended his season-opening hitting streak to 15 games; he leads the team with a .410 batting average. At 12-3 through 15 games, Arkansas matches its start to the 2009 season. With no midweek game, the Hogs turn their attention to their Southeastern Conference opener against defending national champion LSU. The three-game series will be played Friday-Sunday at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. with first pitch for games two and three set for 3 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, Saturday and Sunday. All three games will be aired on Cox Sports Television (CST), Arkansas’ first television appearances of the season. MEN’S BASKETBALL (14-18, 7-9): Arkansas ended its season at the Southeastern Conference Tournament after a tough loss to Georgia, 77-64, in the first round. Senior Mike Washington led the way with 20 points and ended his Razorback career 29th in scoring, ninth in rebounding and sixth in blocked shots. Freshman Marshawn Powell recorded his 24th double-digit scoring performance of the season, a total that led the Razorbacks this season. Powell scored 10 points and grabbed a team high six rebounds. Earlier in the week, Powell was named to the SEC All-Freshman team by both the SEC Coaches and Sporting News. Sophomore Courtney Fortson was named second-team All-SEC after finishing the conference season third in scoring and first in assists. Sophomore Rotnei Clarke was named to the SEC Community Service Team and ended the season as just the second Razorback and 15th SEC player to ever hit 100 three-point baskets in a season. He was two shy of Scotty Thurman’s school record.FOOTBALL (8-5): The Arkansas football team will hold pro day on Tuesday. The Razorbacks begin their third spring under head coach Bobby Petrino on March 30.MEN’S GOLF: The Razorbacks finished third at the Seminole Intercollegiate over the weekend, moving up the team standings each round. A tough first day by Arkansas was improved upon in each round despite a poor weekend with the putters. Senior David Lingmerth completed the tournament with a sub-par round on Sunday to finish tied for seventh overall, his seventh top 10 finish of the season. Arkansas’ final round score of 288 was the fourth lowest of the tournament. The Razorbacks are back in action on March 22-23 at the Oregon Duck Invitational in Junction City, Ore.WOMEN’S GOLF: The No. 41 Razorbacks rallied in the final round to move up the leader board at the Tiger/Wave Classic at English Turn Golf and Country Club in New Orleans, La., Sunday. Freshman Victoria Vela posted a career-best with a 69 for an Arkansas’ best 227 (77-81-69) and a tie for 24th overall. Vela’s round helped Arkansas to a final round plus-five 293 for a three-day 923 (314-316-293) and 12th place, up two spots from Saturday’s finish. The Razorbacks season continues March 26-28, at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga.GYMNASTICS (7-3-1, 2-3-1): No. 7 Arkansas recorded the fifth-highest score in school history in Friday’s 196.875-192.525 win over No. 40 Pittsburgh. Arkansas had 49.275 points on bars, the third-highest total in Razorback history, and 49.375 on floor, which ties the fifth-best mark. Senior Casey Jo Magee tied the school record with a 9.95 on floor, and won floor, tied for the vault title (9.875), won bars (9.90), won beam (9.90) and the all-around (39.625). Her all-around score matches her mark for the second-best in school history. The SEC co-Gymnast of the Week last week, she was also ranked No. 1 in the nation on beam for the second straight week. Senior Sarah Nagashima matched her career high with a 39.350 all-around total. Arkansas closes the regular season at home this week against No. 2 Oklahoma. Amy DeFilippo, Magee and Nagashima will be honored on Senior Night.SOFTBALL (15-8): Arkansas went undefeated over the weekend on its way to winning the Arkansas Invitational team championship. The Razorbacks are on a six-game winning streak heading into the start of conference play on Wednesday. A three-run home run by center fielder Jessica Bachkora in the bottom of the ninth led to a 5-3 victory over Louisiana Tech in the championship game of the tournament Sunday afternoon at Bogle Park. Bachkora finished Sunday 5-for-7 with three home runs, two doubles, five RBI and four runs. She paced the team on the weekend with a .545 average (6-for-11), seven RBI and a 1.636 slugging percentage. Arkansas started the tournament with a 5-2 win over LTU on Saturday and also recorded wins against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Southeast Missouri State. Arkansas hit .257 as a team through the two-day tournament. Along with Bachkora, first baseman Stephanie Brewer also hit over .400, going 5-for-12 (.417) with a double and four RBI. The Razorback staff ERA was 1.17 and the hurlers struck out 30 while issuing only nine walks. Arkansas returns to action Wednesday when it begins SEC play with a doubleheader against South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. The Razorbacks then travel to Lexington, Ky., for a three-game series with the Wildcats.SWIMMING AND DIVING (6-2, 2-1): Arkansas will not send any divers to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships following the NCAA Zone “D” Diving Championship at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on the campus of Texas A&M University. In Sunday’s platform event, sophomore Liana Bugslag placed sixth with a total score of 474.05. Bugslag qualified 11th for the finals with a preliminary score of 227.70. On Friday, sophomore Alex Roman scored a total of 447.15 in the 1-meter event to place 17th. The NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship runs Thursday through Sunday in West Lafayette, Ind., hosted by Purdue University. Swimmers Yi-Ting Siow, Leah Pierce and Jamie Marks will represent the Razorbacks at the three-day event.MEN’S TENNIS (9-7, 1-3): No. 42 Arkansas took a pair of tough road losses this weekend to No.13 Ole Miss and No. 49 Mississippi State. Against the Rebels, sophomore Matt Walters and No. 57 junior Christopher Nott picked up the only wins at the No. 1 and No. 6 singles positions, respectively. On Sunday, freshman Gregoire Lehmann earned the only win of the match with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Daniel Sanchez. Arkansas heads to Athens, Ga., to face Georgia on Sunday at noon. WOMEN’S TENNIS (12-4, 2-2): No. 17 Arkansas recorded wins last week over No. 22 Ole Miss and No. 50 Mississippi State at the Dills Indoor Center in Fayetteville. On Friday, the Hogs dropped the doubles point but were able to take the match, winning four straight singles matches. Stephanie Roy clinched the match on court four with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 victory over Abbie Guntrie. Against the Bulldogs, Arkansas earned the doubles point. In singles play, freshmen Kelsey Sundaram and Claudine Paulson kicked started the win with straight-set wins at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions, respectively. Arkansas continued to dominate as the final match was left on court two between sophomore Kate Lukomskaya and Radka Ferancova. Lukomskaya pulled out the win, 7-5, 6-4. Arkansas takes a break from conference play to match up against Texas A&M, Wednesday in College Station, Texas. The match is scheduled to set serve at 6 p.m.MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD: Arkansas seniors Alain Bailey in the long jump (26-9.75) and Dorian Ulrey in the 3,000 meters (8:10.52) won their first NCAA individual titles at the NCAA Indoor Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center this weekend. In the team race, Arkansas finished fifth with 38 points. Florida won the team title with 57 points, Oregon and Texas A&M tied for second with 44 points and LSU was fourth with 42 points. The Razorbacks ended the weekend with nine All-America honors in five events from eight student-athletes. Arkansas won two individual titles – the 3,000 meters and the long jump – for the first time since the 2006 season. The Razorbacks also picked up top five finishes from sophomore Tarik Batchelor in the long jump (third, 26-0), freshman Brede Raa Ellingsen in the high jump (fifth, 7-2.25) and freshman Drew Butler, sophomore Ben Skidmore, junior Chris Bilbrew and Ulrey in the distance medley relay (second, 9:37.53).WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD: In the team race at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Arkansas tied for 15th with 15.5 points at the Randal Tyson Track Center this weekend. The Razorbacks ended the weekend with 11 All-America honors in five events from eight student-athletes. Junior Shelise Williams picked up two All-America honors to push her career total to four. She finished eighth in the 400 meters (53.23) and third as the second leg of the 4×400-meter relay. The quartet of junior Edina Brooks, Williams, sophomore Whitney Jones and freshman Regina George earned a bronze finish in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:33.83. Brooks earned her first All-America honor in an Arkansas uniform, Jones her third and George her second. The Razorbacks also picked up top 10 finishes from freshman Stephanie Brown in the 800 meters (sixth, 2:05.11), senior Katie Stripling in the pole vault (fifth, 14-1.25) and sophomore Samantha Learch, sophomore Whitney Jones, George and sophomore Kristen Gillespie in the distance medley relay (seventh, 11:16.27).